DAY CAN STILL SMILE DESPITE LETTING BIG ONE GET AWAY

AUGUSTA, Ga. 
Jason Day smiled through the pain. But don’t be fooled, this one hurt immensely.

Day stood on the 16th tee at Augusta National leading the Masters on Sunday. He had just made three straight birdies and was the only player on the course with forward momentum. Then he hit his tee shot too long and his day unraveled.

The 25-year-old Australian couldn’t make a 5-foot putt for par at 16 and he came up short in the bunker on his second shot at 17 for another bogey. When his putt for birdie at 18 missed an inch wide to the right, Day knew he’d have to settle for solo third place.

“The pressure got to me a little bit,” Day admitted.

He closed with a 70 and finished at 7-under, two shots out of the playoff won by Adam Scott over Angel Cabrera. And so it will be another Aussie remembered for being the first to win the Masters. Day and Scott tied for second in the 2011 Masters.

As Day shook hands with playing partner Matt Kuchar, he flashed a big smile. He then moved to behind the green to hold his infant son, Dash, and kiss his wife.

“I think that if I smile and just try and enjoy myself, when I hit bad shots, I won’t be so disappointed,” Day said. “I play better that way. It was just a few little mental errors here and there, but overall very, very happy about the way I played.”

Day’s biggest lament was his approach at 17, which barely missed clearing the bunker. It was on the hole on Saturday that he lipped out on a 3-foot putt.

“On 17 I only had to go an extra foot to two feet and it would have been over that bunker and I think it would have kicked up to about 15-20 feet at least,” Day said.

As Scott and Cabrera headed for their playoff, Day made it clear for whom he was rooting.

“I’m really pulling for Scotty,” Day said. “I know he’s come so close so many times in majors and he really does deserve it. … I’m really praying he pulls through.”

Snedeker struggles

Brandt Snedeker, the third-round co-leader with Cabrera, brimmed with confidence on the eve of the final round. But that didn’t translate into his play on Sunday. After scoring a birdie on the first hole to share an early lead with Day, Snedeker struggled the rest of the way in shooting 3-over 75 to tie for sixth at 4-under.

This was the second close call for Snedeker, who started the 2008 final round in third.

“The last Masters (in 2008) I ended in tears and now my daughter’s crying in tears, so I guess we’re just tearful,” Snedeker said.

“The greens really messed me up,” he added. “I was so used to how fast they were yesterday and I left every putt short out there today. … I did not do a good job of making adjustments and I’m disappointed.”

Mickelson all wet

Phil Mickelson spent far too much time splashing around in the water during the week, and it led to his worst Masters finish when he’s played on the weekend. Mickelson hit water at 13 for a second straight day and closed with a 2-under 73.

The 9-over total was Mickelson’s second-highest total here, behind only 11-over in 2007. He tied for 54th, with only four players finishing behind him.

“It wasn’t just 13 that I spent too much time in the water,” Mickelson said of his favorite hole, where he had been 64-under heading into the week. “It was 12, it was some of the others, too. It was just not a good performance by me this week. It doesn’t mean that this isn’t my favorite place, because it is, I just played poorly.

Mickelson played poorly with his irons because of “technical” issues that he said he has had the last couple of months. He said he found some direction with instructor Butch Harmon on Sunday morning and is hopeful he will go in the right direction.

Still, it was a tough finish to accept for the San Diegan who already has three green jackets and calls the Masters his favorite tournament.

“To perform like this is disappointing,” he said. “I’m disappointed in myself because I expect a lot more of myself.”

Chip-ins

One of the more remarkable performances was turned in by Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen. The 23-year-old Masters rookie opened with a 78, but charged with 70-68-68 to tie for sixth. Olesen’s big run came on Saturday, when he went birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to shoot 5-under at Nos. 12-15.

• SDSU alum Scott Piercy shot 75 and tied for 54th.

• There were two 10s scored on the par-3 12th on Sunday, by defending champion Bubba Watson and Kevin Na.